How to Travel in Bali for One Month with $600

Bali is a place everyone should visit at least once in their lives. No matter if you’re young or old, travelling on a budget or travelling in luxury, Bali will have much to offer everyone!

While travelling around the world can take a heavy toll on your wallet, journeying to Bali might not be as bad as you might think; the reality is, Bali can be as cheap or as expensive as you want it to be! It all depends on how you want to travel. Undeniably, this is one of our favourite things about this magical island!

If you’re wondering how exactly you can travel on a budget, get a bang for your buck and have a comfortable time in Bali, here’s a detailed guide (based on our trialed and tested experience, of course) on just how to do that.

1. SIM Cards/ Mobile Data

Let’s face it, this is the first thing everyone usually thinks of as soon as they get off the airplane and set foot in a new country.

Here are 2 connections we’d recommend:

● Smartfren- IDR 65,000 for 30 GB

This package with Smartfren is a good choice to go with if you tend to use up a lot of data. However, it won’t be of use to you if you’re planning to visit the neighbouring islands like Nusa Penida[1] or Lombok as it is a valid connection only within the island of Bali

link to the Nusa Penida article ● Telkom- IDR 90,000 for 10 GB

You can alternatively get a data package from Telkom as it is valid all throughout Indonesia.

Tips when buying a SIM Card in Bali:

If you get cab drivers from the airport, we’d suggest that you don’t ask them where they can take you to purchase a SIM card because they will most likely take you somewhere that exorbitantly overprices. Instead, pop by a local shop near your accommodation.

Additionally, try and get SIM cards from both Smartfren and Telkom. That way, you can resolve the issue of Smartfren not being valid in islands outside Bali!

2. Accommodations

During our time in Bali, we based ourselves in Canggu for the vast majority of our trip. It's an ideal spot to stay in as it’s a very laidback, surfer town with an abundance of cafes, great places to do some shopping, and has plenty of places to experience the famed Balinese nightlife.

These are 2 homestays we stayed at while in Canggu:

● Chesia’s Homestay

Cost for 1 month- IDR 4.5 million (USD 300)

We booked our rooms at Chesia's Homestay through Airbnb and we really enjoyed our time there. Our host even came to pick us up from the airport!

The rooms were small, yet very comfortable. They also had proper functioning AC, clean bathrooms and hot water, which is everything we needed to have an enjoyable stay.

The B & B was also in close proximity to central Canggu, which made it quite convenient for us, and the other people staying there were also really nice. It also happens to be dog-friendly!

● Buddhi Guesthouse

Cost for 1 month- IDR 3 million (USD 200)

This lovely homestay isn’t one that’s listed on Airbnb, but we are so happy we found it while driving through Canggu!

This quaint B & B was also another great place to stay. It was extremely clean and ty had larger rooms in comparison to the one we had at Chesia’s. Moreover, they also had good AC, a Wi-Fi connection, cleaning services 3 times a week, and even a rustic little kitchen outdoors! We ended up staying here for about 2 weeks.

The owners of this guesthouse were incredibly helpful, friendly and welcoming. What’s more, they were kind enough to let us pack up some of our larger bags and keep it here while we ventured up North[1]! Thereafter, we returned to Buddhi’s, repacked our luggage and headed out on the next part of our adventure.

link to article on North Bali Tips when sorting out your accommodation in Bali:

Instead of booking a place for 30 days straight off the bat, we’d recommend booking a room for about 2 nights at first, and then explore your options once you’ve arrived on the island. This way, there’ll be less room for disappointment once you’re in Bali.

Furthermore, we made an interesting discovery after we were in Bali for a few days. If you drive further away from central Canggu, you'll find many more homestays and B & Bs that are really good and much more budget-friendly.

Here’s a useful tip; the homestays listed on Airbnb will most probably be double the price of those that aren't! So keep your eyes peeled while you drive around for some good accommodations.

3. Transport

Next up on the list is figuring out how you’re going to get around.

Bike rental per day- IDR 70,000- IDR 100,000 (USD 4.5 - USD 6.15)

Bike rental for 3 weeks- IDR 700,000 (USD 51)

It’s common knowledge that scooters or motor bikes are the primary mode of transport in and around Bali.

Getting from one place to another and exploring the islands on scooter throughout the entirety our vacation was pretty effortless and actually quite pleasant. Nonetheless, if you're not too pleased at the thought of solely travelling around by scooter, you can also easily rent a vehicle. However, that'll most definitely cost you more.

When it comes to the costs of pumping petrol, this is what we found:

Full tank at a roadside shop that sell by the bottle- IDR 40,000 (USD 2.5)

Full tank at a gas station- IDR 20,000 (USD 1.46)

Tips when sorting out your transport in Bali:

For a more authentic and grounded experience of Bali, we’d highly recommend travelling by scooter if you have the choice! It really does elevate your whole experience.

It also would be useful to note that when you're travelling longer distances, you can be sure to find roadside petrol shops more often than you would a gas station.

4. Food

When it comes to planning out your gastronomical adventures in Bali, you’ll be spoilt for choice because just like the waterfalls in Bali, there sure isn't a lack of good food!

We found that eateries serving Western dishes tended to be on the higher spectrum in terms of price, comparative to the Warungs that whipped up some delectable local dishes. Still for all, there are some great spots like Crate Cafe that served Western dishes so well, while also being budget friendly and easy on your wallet! A meal at Cafe Crate (with beverages) for 2 people cost us an average of IDR 175,000 (USD 12).

On the other hand, meals with beverages for 2 people at the local Warungs cost IDR 70,000 and upwards (USD 2.9- USD 7).

A tip for when ordering food in Bali:

Ordering drinks can be tricky as they can cost just as much as the main meal at times. So keep an eye out for this!

5. Waterfalls & Beaches

Cost of entry fees at waterfalls (on average)- IDR 20,000 - IDR 150,000 (USD 1.5- USD 10)

Like we said before, if there's one thing Bali isn't short of, it's waterfalls. Some are more famous than others, but it’s pretty clear that these attractions are a primary and vital source of income for the locals in these areas.

Some of the waterfalls we came across during our vacation were well worth the price, but this wasn’t the case with the others (especially the ones that were overcrowded!)

In contrast, the beaches were more often than not cost-free to enter and only had a minimal cost of parking which was usually around IDR 2,000 (USD 0.15).

A tip when planning which waterfalls to visit in Bali:

We'd suggest that you read up on a couple of reviews on TripAdvisor before making a decision on which waterfalls to visit. This way you’ll find out if they get too crowded, when would be the best times to go, what you’ll need to take. etc.

6. Tours

We didn't go on many tours because our preference was skewed towards exploring places on our own (after much research and making sure wherever we were interested in was safe to visit, of course). However, if you don't have enough time to plan your itinerary out yourselves, it's not too hard to find some really good tours on the islands.

We fit in a last-minute snorkelling tour, where we swam with a manta ray, and we were able to negotiate the price down to IDR 800,000 (USD 58) for 2 people. We're glad we managed to go on this adventure because it was spectacular!

A tip when figuring out which tours to go on in Bali:

Don't be afraid to do some negotiating! Some tours may be quite pricey and will come along with the tour price plus an additional fee for a mandatory tour guide, so doing some negotiating will help bring your costs down.

7. Ferry Tickets

You will definitely face these costs when travelling to neighbouring islands from Bali.

Cost of return ticket from Sanur Port to Nusa Penida- IDR 300,000 (USD 21.9)

Make sure to brush up on your negotiating skills as you may need to put them into practice when the people at the ticketing counters try to charge you IDR 400,000- IDR 500,000 at first.

And that brings our guide on how to travel in Bali for a month for $600 to an end. We hope you relish your time in Bali just as much as we did!

For a more in-depth look into all the costs that came up during our whole trip, do head over to our YouTube channel and check out “This Is Bali”, our 6-part vlog series!

You can also check out our channel for more amazing content on travelling in Sri Lanka and much more: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt-a9kmx77cM--JgPQHRqyg